COBALT Advanced Brings High-performance Insect Control to Row Crops

Nov 29, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS — Nov. 29, 2012 — Row-crop producers have relied on COBALT insecticide for years to provide effective insect control. With the development of COBALT Advanced, producers now have a more powerful, low-odor tool that offers fast knockdown and residual control of a broader spectrum of insects.

COBALT Advanced delivers high performance control of a broad spectrum of insects in soybeans, corn, wheat and alfalfa. Insects controlled include aphids, beetles and spider mites in soybeans; corn rootworm beetles, cutworms and aphids in corn; aphids, beetles and grasshoppers in wheat; and weevils, aphids and leafhoppers in alfalfa.

“If you’re spraying at the appropriate application rate, you can expect COBALT Advanced to provide quick knockdown of all of the primary pests in these crops,” says Dr. Erin Hodgson, Extension entomologist at Iowa State University.

The two modes of action found in COBALT Advanced quickly knock down targeted insects, provide long-lasting residual control and help ensure effective resistance management. The new low-odor formulation benefits applicators working near urban centers.

Muggsy Gallagher, who works for Hintzsche Fertilizer in Minooka, Ill., just west of the Chicago suburbs, has already seen the benefits of the lower odor.

“We’re very cognizant of the pesticides we’re using due to the urban sprawl of Chicago,” Gallagher says. “The lower odor of COBALT Advanced was striking compared with the previous formulation.”

The improved formulation of COBALT Advanced insecticide offers greater tank-mix compatibility with nutrients, adjuvants and other pesticides, including fungicides. A planned approach of mixing COBALT Advanced with an effective fungicide can help control both insects and diseases with a single application.

In research conducted by Iowa State University in 2011, applying a tank mix of COBALT Advanced and Quadris fungicide at the tassel stage reduced aphid population, kept diseases in check and produced an increase of 10 bu./A versus the untreated check and 5.3 bu./A versus Quadris alone.

“We always recommend tank-mixing an insecticide with a fungicide due to the synergies that we’ve seen,” Gallagher says. “Whenever you’re trying to raise highly managed, high-yielding crops and you’re going across the field anyway, it’s really a no-brainer to tank-mix an insecticide and fungicide.”

COBALT Advanced is formulated using a unique technology that helps ensure that both active ingredients are present in every droplet. This formulation assures that fields are receiving an equal distribution of both modes of action for increased insect control.

“Producers require a reliable insecticide that can work effectively across multiple crops,” says Brian Timmerman, portfolio marketing leader for Dow AgroSciences. “COBALT Advanced is the best option to address a wide variety of insect problems across crops with the simplicity of one product, making it a great value per acre.”

Dow AgroSciences, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, develops leading-edge crop protection and plant biotechnology solutions to meet the challenges of the growing world. Dow AgroSciences is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company and had annual global sales of $5.7 billion in 2011. Learn more at www.dowagro.com. Follow Dow AgroSciences on Facebook and YouTube or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.